Helen Mirren in The Queen

Dame Helen Mirren's performance as the Queen has drawn rave reviews from critics at the Venice Film Festival.

She is tipped to pick up the best actress award at the festival - and is considered a certainty for Oscar nomination.

Hollywood critics heaped praise on the 61-year-old British actress for her role in The Queen, which is directed by Stephen Frears and set in the week Diana, Princess of Wales died in a Paris car crash.

She received a five-minute ovation when the film was screened on Saturday.

"Helen Mirren's beautifully nuanced performance as Queen Elizabeth II is likely to be crowned with a host of awards nominations," said influential trade publication Screen Daily, which described her performance as "brilliant... ultimately complex and moving".

The Hollywood Reporter said: "Mirren is superb in finding those telling moments where the royal mask drops to reveal the flesh-and-blood woman."